Pinna Acoustics, a Dutch company that specialises in acoustic engineering and studio design, recently installed PMC MB2S speakers in a new mastering facility, Artone Studio at Record Industry, one of the world’s largest vinyl pressing plants.

Headed by Jelle Van der Voet, Pinna Acoustics was commissioned to design and build the new studio, which houses three vintage cutting machines. Pinna Acoustics also built a live room that is linked to the studio so that performances could be cut directly onto the master, ready to press on vinyl.

“We are very proud of this studio because it sounds fantastic,” Van der Voet says. “Our flushmount studio designs are well known for their incredible low frequency detail, massive sound image, and a sweet spot as large as the room itself. Although we work with all speaker manufacturers, we do tend to install a lot of PMC speakers, especially the larger models, because they deliver the sonic performance our clients are looking for. Our philosophy is to have speakers and acoustics working together to give the best possible sound reproduction. Both elements must perform top notch to create an impressive sounding studio.”

Established in 2014 and based in Lekkerkerk, Pinna Acoustics takes its name from the external part of the human ear, which funnels sound into the eardrum. The company operates where music and acoustics meet, delivering projects as diverse as mastering rooms, Dolby Atmos dubbing stages, cinema, on-air radio facilities and recording studios.

“We design the air-born transfer of soundwaves from the speaker to the human pinna,” Van der Voet says. “All our acoustic solutions are custom-made. We design, build and test our acoustically tuned elements in our workshop, and then we place these elements on location, which can be anywhere. A lot of our current clients are successful producers such as Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Nicky Romero and Quintino. We also create studios for record labels such as Armada, Musical Freedom and STMPD REC STUDIOS - and we have rebuilt some classic studios such as Wisseloord and MotorMusic.”

Pinna Acoustics works closely with Joystick Audio, the Benelux distributor that handles high end brands such as PMC, Solid State Logic, Cedar Audio and Prism Sound.

“We don’t sell speakers, but we are dependent on companies like Joystick Audio who can supply great sounding systems like PMC,” Van der Voet says. “Although they always have a choice, most of our clients prefer the large PMC systems as their main and only speaker system. When a client contacts us, we take them to visit one of our previous projects or to our demo studio where they can hear what we do. For most clients, it is not about the speakers or the brand; it’s about the whole experience they get in the studio. Most are overwhelmed by the sonic performance, low frequency detail and stereo image in the rooms we build, so they want to replicate that – and in a lot of cases that means copying the PMC speakers.”

Van der Voet adds that when he began designing studios he was initially a little afraid of the larger PMC systems because their bandwidth and the radiation patterns are extremely wide.

“These systems test your nicely designed studio right away with no excuses,” he says. “As an acoustic engineer, you must know absolutely what you are doing otherwise the room will reduce the power and the sonic performance of the speakers. But if the acoustic design of the studio is done well, the PMC speakers and room acoustics will couple and perform brilliantly, giving you a sound like you have never heard before.”

Pinna Acoustics is currently building three new studios in Amsterdam for STMPD recording studios. “Most of the rooms are now equipped with PMC systems such as the MB3-XBD, IB1S (in a 5.1 surround configuration), twotwo6 and result6 monitors,” Van der Voet adds. “We are also preparing a three-studio project in Dubai and these will be equipped with PMC MB3-XBD systems.”

-ends-

About PMC

PMC is a UK-based, world-leading manufacturer of loudspeaker systems, the tools of choice in all ultra-critical professional monitoring applications, and also for the discerning audiophile at home, where they provide a transparent window into the recording artist's original intentions. PMC products use the best available materials and design principles, including the company's proprietary Advanced Transmission Line (ATL™) bass-loading technology, cutting-edge amplification and advanced DSP techniques to create loudspeakers that present sound and music exactly as it was when first created, with the highest possible resolution, and without coloration or distortion. For more information on our clients and products, see www.pmc-speakers.com.